


admit it

by briwookie



Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 11:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10852773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briwookie/pseuds/briwookie
Summary: What started out as a trivial fling turned into Jack Merridew crashing at Ralph's flat several times, often drunk and often too horny for his own good.However, when an argument goes sour, Ralph does anything to get him back.Oneshot, complete.





	admit it

**Author's Note:**

> This was another reupload from my fic-compilation set on FFN. I really enjoyed this one more than my other Jalph works so I hope that you enjoy!

Ralph wasn't sure what exactly woke him up, but once his eyes popped open, he noticed that half of the bed was empty. Maneuvering his hand towards the right side of the mattress, he gripped the sheets that were once covered by a body, nice and warm.

He didn't need the evidence of the sheets to know that he was gone, he could simply tell without even second-guessing it. Mornings were always like this though, at least every once in a while when the young man would allow the drunken idiot to crash through the front door, obviously intoxicated, and spend the night with him.

However it took more than common sense for Ralph to actually think about his options once he sat up in his bed and his back started to cry out in its soreness.

The man thought he would get used to the feeling of pain by now, but it was always there - he guessed that Jack would always go way too hard and way too fast. He told himself that he shouldn't be surprised - Merridew was always that way when it came to sex.

Regardless, shouldn't there have been some kind of thoughtfulness for whenever the taller man would pick him up from the ground and carry him to the other room, some kind of spark in his eye that truly showed he cared?

Ralph had to shake his head. From  _Jack_?

The idea seemed utterly ridiculous.

Sighing, Ralph took his eyes away from the other side of the bed and decided to climb out himself, ignoring his throbbing back muscles and his tired legs.

Intercourse shouldn't be such a workout, especially when the blonde was known for taking it rather than giving, but he guessed that it was just the way it was meant to be.

With clothes sprawled all over the floor, leading a trail from his bedroom all the way into the bathroom of the apartment, Ralph was certain that the other man was far too content with his surroundings than to simply leave. This shouldn't have come as such a surprise though - after all, they've done than this alone.

" _Dammit_ Jack, at least have the common decency to pick up after all of your shit." Ralph muttered, leaning down and grimacing at the flash of pain that came with it.

Yup, he was certain that after today, he would really have to put some restrictions on their positions - that is, if he wanted to keep both of his legs functional.

A pair of boxers was the first to be grabbed, followed by a nice pair of denim jeans, a belt, a plaid button-up shirt, and last but not least, a pair of running shoes. Ralph was actually baffled as to why the other man would wear such odd shoes with his outfit, but he knew better than to question such things.

As though it was some form of hidden intention, the door itself was actually cracked open, sending out the aroma of soap and scented body lotion. Ralph was sure he could hear humming, all of which he was sure was the Jack’s doing, and he rolled his eyes before walking inside and pulling at the curtain.

Normally, he had the respectable manner for waiting until his guests finish their shower before prying himself in - however, Jack was a completely different matter.

Jack shrieked, instantly glaring back and covering himself the nearest thing he could find, which was the bottle of shampoo. His face bloomed into a color that could have been identified with the color of his hair.

"What the _hell_?"

"It's noon, Jack. Why are you still here, and wasting all the hot water?" The blonde dropped the clothes on the ground, obviously irked and ready to blow up at any given second.

The other man wasn't too willing to simply get out and leave. Rather, he smirked and placed the bottle right where it originally was, letting Ralph share in his clean afterglow.

"Shouldn't you be treating your guests a little more nicely? After all, with all the hard work I have been treating for you, especially with last night...and all those other nights, really, you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" Ralph hissed, unsure if Jack was actually sober or not. "You could have broken my back. among other things."

"Among other things? Sounds interesting. Care to explain to me-"

"Shut up!" Ralph said before waving his hand and leaving out the way he came in, before turning his head and yelling.

"If you're not out of here in the next ten minutes, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

The man heard some laughing coming from the shower and decided not to question it before moving back towards his room and making his messy bed.

Jack seemed to be aware that he always caused such a ruckus whenever he showed up to the other man's place, yet that didn't stop him from tearing everything apart and having Ralph pick up everything.

Truthfully though, Ralph knew that he really didn't mind doing this considering that Jack didn't come that often. Whether or not him coming randomly was a good thing or a bad thing, Ralph wasn't so sure, but one thing was certain, and it was that Ralph knew he would have to stop this little charade they were playing before things got too out of hand.

Whenever Jack would come over, it used to be something trivial, almost like an accident. However, as the months would pass and the two would get older, Ralph realized that Jack was coming over more and more often, with the same drunken look on his face and that same Irish beer bottle pressed up within his hand. Jack would no longer ask to crash in, it was sheer instinct that drove him to where he was, and it just seemed as though the redhead would press his body against Ralph's, look him in the eyes, and just casually lead him into the bedroom with the lights shut off and...

Ralph had to shake his head at the mere thought of it. His heart was beating hysterically in his chest, something that normally Ralph wouldn't feel other than thinking about the other man and that warm, naked bliss that was his body, and he was sure that pondering too much about these things would allow him to have a heart attack.

"Ralph?" Jack asked, walking into the bedroom with a white towel wrapped nicely around his torso, and leaving practically nothing for the imagination.

Ralph turned and was struck bright red at the simple sight, completely raising his hands and trying not to look.

"Y-You scared me! You could at least knocked first, couldn't you?"

The other man laughed, taking the pieces of clothing he was carrying in his arms and leaning against the door.

"That wouldn't be much of a surprise now, would it? Besides, where would the fun if I couldn't scare you every now and then?"

Ralph sighed, watching as the devil himself walk towards him and chucklr.

"You really don't mind if I stay a  _little_  longer, do you?"

Honestly, Ralph wanted to say that he didn't mind at all. He wanted to feel the proximity of their bodies close in space, for their warmness to be intertwined and their hands searching, constantly exploring. However, as Jack lightly took his towel and let to fall to the ground, Ralph started down in complete uncertainty.

He wanted this, more than anything he wanted in his entire life, but it seemed as though Jack would keep leaving him. It could be days, months, hell even years before the man would come back to this apartment, and Ralph would have to witness these passing days all by himself. They were both men, and all of these things were coming on too fast...

As Jack let his wandering hands rest on Ralph's hips, gripping them and pressing them onto his own, Ralph had to grit his teeth to stop a moan from coming out.

The pleasure was almost too nostalgic, as though sudden memories were suddenly pumping through the blonde's mind, and before the freckled hands could reach anywhere lower, more intimate and warm, Ralph grabbed both wrists within his own grasp. Green eyes locked onto blue, and the taller of the two watched with shock as Ralph shook his head and pushed the hands away.

"Stop it. We can't."

"And why not?" Jack bitterly spat back. Ralph knew that the other man was impatient and that anything he wanted, he would get, but he had to speak his mind. If he kept all of this in, he would regret it.

"You know damn well why we can't. This entire affair seems to be going on and off, and you don't seem to be the least bit concerned where this entire thing is going."

Like a little child, Jack was more than upset at this statement. In fact, he was completely furious, and he narrowed his eyes towards the other man before huffing and running his hand through his hair.

"Ralph...if you're really pissed about something like this, then why do you let me stay with you during those nights instead of just kicking me out? There is obviously a reason as to why you would keep up with this for so long."

"You just don't understand! Having moments like these, and just making love for no reason whatsoever...it doesn't make any sense. How am I supposed to know you're not going around and having sex with all the other guys, huh?"

At this comment, it was clear that Jack wasn't going to listen to anything that Ralph was saying, and without a moment's hesitation, he left the room, quickly changed into his clothes, and grabbed his car keys.

Ralph ran over to the door as the other man left, not sure whether to call him back or let him leave, but as the car drove out of the apartment parking lot, Ralph was sure that all he needed was a little time to think.

Jack wasn't the worst of times, but he certainly wasn't the best, either. If the young man wanted to continue seeing Jack, even if there were circumstances that needed to be solved, he would have to consider his own heart and his own mind before even attempting to speak with the other man again.

* * *

 

The coffee shop normally wasn't Ralph's spot to cool down and think, but he knew more than anything that if he needed a friend to talk to, Simon was just the guy.

Simon himself marked this little area as his own personal sanctuary; coming here for the fact that the people were friendly and it was somewhere he could unwind. Once Ralph explained his emotions over the phone, Simon was instantly piqued at whatever Ralph could be feeling, so the younger man called Ralph over to this place to discuss the matters at hand. Now that they were both seated and comfortable, Simon looked up from his cup of black coffee and smiled lightly.

"You seemed a little tired when you were on the phone, you even have black bags underneath your eyes. Getting enough sleep?"

Ralph listened in to his friend's comment and sighed, taking off the cap to his water bottle and managing to take in a huge gulp before responding.

Simon was always interested in the little things, whether it be someone's sleeping problems or someone's emotional turmoils.

"Last night, Jack was over."

That statement was enough to explain everything, and Simon laughed, nodding once to show that he understood.

"Jack has the tendency to bring the party with him whenever he goes to places. So, what? Did you guys actually argue about something...again?"

"Let's just say that Jack was being _difficult_. I explained the entire thing about our, erm, sexual compatibilities and facing reality, but he acted like a little kid and he decided that he didn't want to listen to whatever I had to say. Seems like his character, anyway, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Ralph rolled his eyes and brought the water back to his lips, noticing the bunches of thunderclouds gathering in the sky above him.

"True, that really is Jack, but don't you think he was being genuine with the things you told me he said earlier? Obviously, Jack cares about you, whether you see that in front of your eyes or not. The ball is practically in your own court."

"I understand that Simon, but let's just stop for a moment and really think about Jack in general. Jack is irresponsible, he's impatient, unwilling to do anything to save his life, and more than anything..." Ralph started, , and Simon smiled.

"You love him." Simon said, watching as the shock and dismay arrived within the other man's eyes.

"All you ever do is talk about him, even before last night and before this morning whenever you called me to tell me what happened. Jack always goes away, whether to do things on his own turf or just to move around a lot, yet he always comes back to see you."

"Whenever he's drunk," Ralph muttered, earning a smile and a chuckle from the black-haired man.

"In all honesty though, don't you think that he really cares about you if he comes to your place more than once and actually enjoys spending his time with you?"

Ralph looked towards the sky as a raindrop fell onto his shoulder, not entirely being ignorant that it was going to rain, but surprised that it was raining this early in the afternoon. Lifting himself up off of his chair, he pulled his umbrella away from his other supplies and opened it, watching as Simon did the same.

"Terrible weather isn't it?"

"The worst."

* * *

 

The rain was pouring heavily now, and Ralph was sure he was going to be stuck in his blasted traffic for the next hour or so. Even with the music playing from his radio, he still was concerned for many different things at the same time - mainly about Jack. It didn't help that this outpour would consist of the rest of his Sunday afternoon, and the gloomy skies would be following him for the rest of evening.

Ralph rested his head against his car seat and tried not to think too much about things. However, he found that the more he tried, the less it seemed to do him any good. Simon's words still pressed within his ears, repeating themselves over and over again.

 _"You love him._ "

The man wanted to laugh as this stupid statement.

"I don't love him," he whispered to himself. "Jack is by far the most ignorant man I have ever known, and all he wants with me are those late night affairs when he's too drunk to drive himself back to his own damn house. I'm surprised that he can even drive, it must be luck."

The traffic in front of him was completely congested, with the occasional screaming of the civilian and the honking of the horns. Ralph was sure that, with this weather, and with the cars stacked into each other, he wasn't going to get home for a good while.

However, as the minutes passed, Ralph heard more and more yelling coming from outside of his car window. He looked outside to see people gathering from outside their cars, and it was then that the man knew something was going on. Somebody was hurt, or so it seemed.

Ralph clicked himself out of his seatbelt and left his vehicle, walking towards the crowd with the same amount of interest, pushing through the people.

Whatever had happened, it was inevitably something that was horrific. Even the younger adults and some children were looking at this scene with frightened eyes and quivering lips.

After getting through the lot of the people and noticing that he was finally onto the scene, he glanced towards what was a body lying on the ground, unmoving. Ralph had never felt so completely shocked in his entire life, but the reason behind these swarming emotions was not only because someone looked as though he was dead, it was none other than him.

"Jack, holy shit!" Ralph cried out, leaning down and feeling the pale cheeks of the fallen man. There seemed to be some disfiguration with Jack's legs, as though he was flying through the air and had come to a crashing stop on the ground, and there was blood coming from scratches on his arms.

"Did someone call an ambulance?" He cried, watching as some of the adults simply looked towards each other and switched glances. One woman, who looked to be around Ralph's age with brown hair and terrified hazel eyes, stepped forward.

"I did, they're on their way. This man here, Jack, as you said, he seemed to have gotten in an accident of some kind."

"He was speeding on the highway," another man said, pointing towards a general direction with his black glove. "He ran into another car with his own, but the other driver only managed to get a few injuries. We pulled this guy out from the car, and we're just waiting for some people to get here and take him to the hospital."

Ralph sighed, glad that people were coming to get him, but as he looked down toward the other man he felt a tinge of regret build up within his chest.

Jack was probably too angry with him, and he didn't hesitate to drive more than the limit required for the sake of letting his emotions wear down. However, he probably knew that it would come with a consequence, such as letting broken legs and an injured, possibly broken arm.

The ambulance had arrived within the next few minutes, and Ralph didn't think twice before driving alongside them toward the hospital. He had to make sure that his friend was really okay, and while the thoughts of the other man not making it flooded through him, Ralph tried to be as reasonably calm as possible. It wouldn't seem right for him to be making a fit for no reason.

It was then that Ralph had entered within the hospital, sitting down and waiting for the opportunity to see if Jack was really alright. He flipped through the pages of a magazine, trying to distract his raging minds with pictures of women in bikinis and technology advertisements. Even with these pictures, completely made to preoccupy him, nothing was working, and it was making him feel more and more tense about it.

"Why can't I just feel alright about it?" He asked himself, looking towards the clock to find that he had already been sitting there for half an hour. Sooner or later, a nurse or somebody of the sort would have to come out and tell Ralph how the other man was doing, whether he was alright or whether he had...

Ralph shook his head, thinking all of these messed up thoughts again. There wasn't any way that Jack could have passed away, it seemed impossible, but as the seconds ticked and ticked away, Ralph just wasn't sure anymore.

Within the next quarter of an hour, and young woman with a clipboard in her hand walked up to where the blonde was sitting and and placed a hand on her hip. She seemed either really stressed out or just tired.

"Yes, are you...?"

"Tuckerson. I am Ralph Tuckerson. I've come for the Merridew client?"

"Just this way," the woman said, almost in a monotone voice like she was built that way.

She led the other man down corridor upon corridor, revealing just how large this local hospital building was, before nearing a wooden door that said Room 329. She nodded for his permission to enter, and Ralph did not hesitate to open the door and step inside.

The room was pristine white, something that Ralph realized was matching compared to the interior of the other parts of the hospital, and the room itself was pretty tight and composed. There was only one bed, as Ralph had pictured, and there was Jack, lying down with his arms at his side. It looked as though the redhead was sleeping, and Ralph neared him cautiously to not stir him up.

As he walked up to where he was at Jack's side, the vulnerability of the freckled face was soothing to Ralph. Even when this man was clearly injured, he seemed so peaceful and content that Ralph found it incredibly hard to believe there was something wrong with him.  
Before Ralph could do anything else, Jack managed to open one of his eyes and look towards the visitor with a surprised look on his face.

"Ralph...?"

"Yeah, it's me." The man replied, sitting down in the seat that was right next to the bed. He watched as Jack opened the other eye and managed to sit up.

"Why did you come here? How did you know that...?"

"I saw your accident, and I noticed that you were the one that got hurt. I followed the doctors into the hospital to make sure that you were really alright. Glad to see that you still act the same though," Ralph smirked, watching as Jack laughed and leaned his head against the back side of the wall.

There was always something about the way Jack smiled that could make Ralph feel as though things were really going to be okay.

"Sounds like someone really was caring, even though you were acting like such a pill this morning." Jack grimaced at the pain that was now evident through his arms, and he squinted an eye at the mere feeling. "Feels like I was run over by a bus..."

"You might as well have, considering that the accident you were in seemed pretty bad."

"Did the other driver get hurt?"

"No, he only had a few injuries...or at least, that's what someone told me from before."

Jack sighed, lifting his eyes towards the top of the room and letting the light sink in.

Ralph watched in sympathy towards him, knowing that he really was acting like a pill this morning rather than acting the way he should have, but at this moment the only thing he could think of was how thankful he was that Jack didn't get really hurt, or even die for that matter.

"Jack..." Ralph started, watching as the man twisted his face around to see Ralph face to face.

"I really am sorry for the way I acted this morning...I didn't mean to get too crossed with you, I guess I was just feeling a little...confused."

Jack sighed, closing his eyes and smiling lightly.

"You shouldn't have to apologize for something you didn't do...at least you didn't speed like a maniac on the highway and manage to crash yourself into another car."

"But if I didn't argue with you, then this wouldn't have happened. You would be alright, with no injuries, and everything would still be normal!" Ralph said, watching as the other man leaned closed to where he was from the bed.

"To be perfectly honest with you Ralph, I am glad you actually brought up that entire thing. I tend to not want to think about the important things, but you made it to where I forced myself into thinking about it, and well...I agree with what you said."

"...you do?" Ralph asked, and Jack nodded before continuing.

"Yes. I understand that I shouldn't come over just when I am drunk or when I am needing a good fuck every now and then, and deep down you and I both know I come because...well, I really like you Ralph. You're smart, funny, and you're damn good in bed. Why wouldn't I fall for someone like that?"

Jack licked hip lips nervously before looking into the green eyes that were so helpless from before, but now seem so completely mesmerized.

"Jack..." Ralph whispered, shocked beyond simple words. He watched as the other man leaned in and kissed him on the mouth, with only a short and warm touch of affection between them, before lying back down on his bed and stretching his arms.

"By the way...I'm sorry for just saying this now, but you might want to get some new food for the fridge. I was awfully hungry last night, and well...yeah I kind of went through your stuff."

Ralph was still tying to grasp that kiss, unsure of what exactly he had been meaning to do, but as he watched the other man fall asleep, he sighed and picked himself up off of the chair.

He leaned down and kissed Jack while he was asleep, turning away and walking from the room. Knowing that Jack could be a handful from time to time was one thing, but actually having the guts to withstand him was another, and Ralph was sure that he would have to face this situation again another time. Right now, the man decided he would much rather not think about it and just let the events flow the way they were supposed to granting both Ralph and Jack with moments that each could cherish.

Ralph got back into his car and started it up, excited to go home once he heard his stomach growl. However, before he started his ride back to his apartment, he came to the realization that he would have to stop for lunch that afternoon, considering that a certain Merridew took everything that he ever had.

Not that he was complaining, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated!


End file.
